Car Servicing-Of course regular servicing is important for your car

Vauxhall Insignia Brakes-Saturday can bring in all sorts of jobs in a busy garage?

Vauxhall Insignia Brakes

I am sure that every garage owner that opens on a Saturday will agree that we never know what to expect. Of course, most of the

new spring being fitted with the spring compressor

work that we receive during the week is probably booked in and therefore predictable.

of course the Saturday just past was no exception. In general Saturdays are filled with customers wanting new tyres fitting. Indeed this the first job was a red Vauxhall Insignia for two new General tyres fitting. Our customer wanted the fronts to back and also a wheel alignment.

Because I work on our internet sites then my office is in another location. As a result, then I go into my Halifax garage every Saturday morning. Of course, just to help out wherever I can. Hence, just helping anyone out who needs me. So, I may answer the phone or go fetch parts or tyres from the warehouse.

Alex working on the Insignia brake job

Alex was given the Insignia tyres job and proceeded to remove the four wheels. As we do on all jobs, then Alex noted that the brake discs and pads were very worn.Indeed they needed replacing. As a result, we informed the owner as we always do. Some people just make a note and have the work carried out at a later date. Probably because they want to spread the cost out.

Vauxhall Insignia Brakes and Vectra broken spring.

However this particular guy gave Alex permission to change the brake discs and pads. Consequently, the guy had heard a slight grinding sound from the front of his car. Especially during heavy braking?

Before Alex finished the Insignia, then another vauxhall owner presented with his car. His car was a Vauxhall Vectra and there was a loud banging coming from the front of the car. As we suspected the Vectra had a broken coil spring on the passenger front side.

Vectra broken spring on the work bench

Luckily we could get all the parts and dale started on the font spring job. This Saturday was turning out to be a busy day with several tyre jobs coming in out of the blue. Any garage owner will tell you how rewarding it is to be kept busy. Especially on a Saturday?Sometimes we can do the same turnover on a Saturday morning than a whole mid-week day ! very rewarding!

Eric Roberts

Women Drivers-What a Lady May be Looking for when taking their car in for a Service or the MOT TEST.

Women Drivers

What Women Drivers want to know that an Auto centre is backed by more than word of mouth.

Women Drivers unfortunately can have a bit of a blind spot ,when it comes to knowing anything about their cars?. People tend to think that women only buy a car on account of whether the

We at Pellon employ a lady receptionists because of the large increase in our Women Drivers customers.

colour looks good, or if the upholstery looks nice. The truth is, while there are a few who may be that way, many Women Drivers are more knowledgeable about their cars than you think. Here are a few things that most females may expect from a garage when they take their car in for a Car Service.

1. Positive Feedback.

Girls are born shoppers for the most part. And while a few know exactly what they want and buy it at first sight, most prefer to window shop. Asking around and getting feedback from people who have used the garage is one of the most reliable ways to gauge how good (or bad) the service is. You don’t expect the manager or sales person who works for the garage to say anything negative, do you? So getting recommendations or cautionary tales is the best way to weed out the good from the bad.

2. Professionalism.

If Women Drivers know nothing about cars, the reputation of male mechanics may lean towards the seedy and lecherous, who think a woman’s face is below her neck line. By calling in to see the person who she will be dealing with, a lady will know if the garage is meant for her or not? we employ female reception staff and also have a warm and friendly reception area where she will not be uncomfortable and have to put up with any male bad behavior or comments. There is a place and time to be flirty. A Car Auto- centre is not one of them.

Unipart service centre in Halifax West Yorkshire a garage well trusted by Women Drivers, in fact we estimate that 60% of our customers are from the fair sex.

3. Handling Complaints

While this may come together with the feedback, it is important for women to find out how complaints are handled. Females are meticulous in general, so if something is not up to standard and she wants her car repaired or serviced, will the garage be reasonable in the respect of say pricing for parts that she may not have had fitted?. Ask around about how the Auto-centre you are looking into handles complaints. The after service response can be a very telling sign if the centre gives the Women Drivers customer a good experience, because this is where you find out how they handle back jobs and complaints. Check also how many complaints they get on average. Too many complaints are a signal of poor service.

4. Affiliations

Women Drivers want to know that an Auto centre is backed by more than word of mouth. If she knows that a garage has affiliations with companies that provide support and training for them, such as Motorcodes and she will rest easier to choose a company that have the backing of such an organisation.

5. Women want Guarantees on parts and service

While there are no guarantees in life, a garage should have a guarantee on their parts and/or service. If they are as good as they make themselves out to be, they should not hesitate to give a guarantee on the work.

So if a lady finds all of this in one garage, she will most likely choose that one. Lucky for her, Unipart Car Care Centrescan help her find these kinds of service centres from among their

Look out for the Motorcodes sign for better quality service.

700 independent and vetted garages nationwide. All these garages share the core beliefs of Unipart Car Care Centres which are

• An open and honest approach with all the customers

• A high standard of work and excellent value for money and also save the old parts to show the customer.

• 12 month guarantee on parts and labour

• An open invitation to inspect, review and rate the service from the people that you would trust with your car. Of your choice to make the best informed decision for your needs

Should Women Drivers even be looking anywhere else? NO

Eric Roberts..

Air Filters-How they Work-Chevy High Performance Magazine

14th June 2019/in All Car Servicing /by Eric

Air Filters

How Air Filters Work

Chevy High Performance Magazine

For performance air filter manufacturers like Airaid, determining the ideal filter design for each vehicle application is a balancing act between optimal flow and packaging constraints.

eric roberts‘s insight:

What do CAR AIR FILTERS DO?

Air filters are very important parts of your cars performance system. They help your engine breathe easily by filtering out the dirt and dust that enters your car engine. The car engine sucks in tremendous amounts of air, and this air must be perfectly clean.

It is amazing what the engine will suck in, in summer time it sucks in millions of insects and dust particles and in autumn and winter apart from dirt and grime, the engine sucks in leaves and even water from the winter rains. All these things can end up in the engine compartment and eventually would be sucked into the inlet ports, but your air filter stops all this happening.

The air filter is most often encased in a plastic holder, or older cars could be made of metal. This casing is a secondary filter safeguard and is sometimes they are shaped like

kitchen pans, with the air intake looking like the pan handle, but the more modern cars have them shaped to fit in with the engine compartment. The plastic box has its own filter

Dirty air filter ready for changing

slits which helps trap larger objects such as leaves.

Air Filters

It is therefore very important to have your car serviced at regular intervals and to make sure that the garage changes the oil and air filter by asking them to see the old ones when you pick the car up. If you do not change the air filter it will slowly clog up with dirt and starve your engine from oxygen.

This will hamper the performance of your car. The biggest problem is in Fuel-injected cars, because a dirty oil filter will hamper the performance of your car. It is great when a customer has just had his car serviced and notices the difference in the cars performance, this is usually because of the new air and oil filters.

Air filters are manufactured by many different companies, but here in Halifax UK we use Unipart filters because of the quality of the parts and we are a Unipart Car Care Centre.

Thanks Eric Roberts member of… MotorCodes.co.uk

Eric Roberts

Hi I would like to introduce myself. I have worked in the Garage and tyre and Battery business now for 40 years . Working for a couple for national tyre companies in my younger days. Hence, before starting my first business. Now own a garage and MOT testing centre.Here in the UK called Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre. Blogging about anything to do with cars and their related products. Of course, that will help my business. Members of Point-S and Motor-Codes. So, also a Unipart Car Care Centre and of course Tyre-safe.

AdBlue Contamination Problem- Experts warn of rising levels of AdBlue contamination

7th June 2019/in All Car Servicing /by Eric

AdBlue Contamination Problem

At present the AdBlue solution is produced in the UK and Europe, although there are plans to create other production plants in the UK such as the one owned by “Greenox”

I must admit that AdBlue was unheard of. Hence in my small world? As a result it is now common place amongst million of truck, car and van users. Noted by the familiar AdBlue cap. Usually placed next to the diesel fuel filler.

AdBlue cam about when from January 1st 2005. Subsequently, vehicles produced in Europe will have needed to meet even tighter emissions standards, namely Euro 4.

By Adding this additive fuel savings of up to 6% have been boasted. As a result, by some of the leading vehicle manufacturers.

AdBlue Contamination Problem

Many of the vehicle manufacturers. So, are opting for SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) as the preferred technology. As a result (SCR) is an advanced active emissions control technology system. This injects AdBlue through a special catalyst. Of course then into the exhaust stream of a diesel engine. The reductant source is usually automotive-grade urea, otherwise known as AdBlue. The AdBlue then sets off a chemical reaction. Hence, that converts nitrogen oxides into nitrogen, water and tiny amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). All of course are the natural components of the air that we breathe. This clean mixture of gases is then expelled through the exhaust pipe.

As AdBlue is highly susceptible to contamination unless handled correctly. which has led to some dispute surrounding the creation of new ISO standards. Who should be involved with interaction as to how they should be implemented.

Feather Diesel Services has reported an increase in the number of fuel injector faults where AdBlue has been present in the fuel system. The cross-contamination is often a result of misfuelling the vehicle and even immediate

Source: Experts warn of rising levels of AdBlue contamination – Garagewire

Unipart Car Care Centre Will Continue to Operate and Stays in Business.

6th June 2019/in All Unipart Service Centres Stuff /by Eric

Unipart Car Care Centre

Unipart Car Care Centre Announces Apple Tech Gadget Facebook Contest Newswire (press release) (Newswire.net — October 8, 2013) Bicester, Oxfordshire –One of the UK’s leading car care specialists, Unipart Car Care Centre (UCCC), has announced the…

eric roberts‘s insight:

UNIPART CAR CARE CENTRE STARTING TO LEAD THE WAY

Our Parts and labour guaranteed for 12 months

We as a Unipart Car Care Centre member . Are committed to give our customers a great service. Hence, the service doesn’t end when you drive out of our garage. Consequently, as a UCCC member . We believe in lasting quality and unbeatable value. Especially, for our customers. As such, we offer a 12 month – or 12,000 mile – guarantee. Of course, that is applicable on all parts and labour . Thus, on the cars that we have repaired or serviced.

In other words, if we at Pellon Autocentre fit a part incorrectly, or if it’s goes faulty, we will replace and refit it at no added cost, at our Auto-centre in Halifax or in the UCCC nationwide network of

garages. So you will be able to drive anywhere at any time here in the UK with complete peace of mind.

Unipart Car Care Centre in Halifax

You can click on the UCCC web site to find your local, customer-approved local garage. Unipart has just recently gone into receivership but the company was in two parts and the part that runs the UCCC part of the business will still continue to operate which is good news for us here at Pellon Tyres in Halifax Yorkshire UK. here is a recent part of a press release that we have received from Unipart Group…

“Unipart Group confirms its commitment to develop the Unipart Car Care Centre proposition to make it even more compelling for both garages and motorists alike. It is committed to making its network of independent Car Care Centre garages more robust than ever.

Unipart Car Care Centre

As well as maintaining its strong www.uccc.co.uk online presence for its members, Unipart Car Care Centre will continue to offer all the existing benefits including the popular Nationwide Guarantee Promise, Car Care Centre of the Year programme and local marketing support programmes. Over the coming weeks, we will be introducing new offerings that will further enhance the benefits provided to the Unipart Care Centre network”.

Unipart Group will be continuing to provide Original Equipment quality parts which will be distributed to the Unipart Care Centre and independent garage networks by Andrew Page, The Parts Alliance and Express Factors.

Eric Roberts

See on www.newswire.net

Motor Codes attract more independent garages for Improved Customer satisfaction

5th June 2019/in All Car Servicing, All Unipart Service Centres Stuff /by Eric

Motor Codes

Motor Codes has experienced a surge in interest from independent garages lining up to join the garage endorsement scheme. It experienced a 45% increase in its independent garage subscriber-base in 2013, taking the …

eric roberts‘s insight:

Motor Codes good news for the motorists

This is good news for motoring public of Great Britain. Over the years there have been many attempts to start up schemes similar to Motor Codes, that will protect the motoring public from dishonest garages. Unfortunately none of these have really taken off.

Look for this motor codes sign for better service

It is something that I have always being looking for in my own garage, but did not find any this type of organizations that were what i would call, genuine?. The other schemes that i looked at always seemed to be tied up with some product or other and you had to buy so much of a certain product, to take part in the scheme, in my opinion this was not very genuine enough reason to be a member, and so I did not take part.

Then a garage scheme known as Motor Codes that was also recommended by the government here in the UK came along and this ticked all the boxes for me. As soon as i saw what was on offer I became a member. In my opinion this scheme was for the independent garage and their “customer care priorities”.

Motor Codes good for tyre safety

The best way for the motorist is to check out their website and see what members have to offer car driver of today. The garages that join the scheme have all to be checked on all sorts of things such as safety and good garage practices. But more important they give assurances to our customers, regarding prices and the quality of the parts that we use on their cars for servicing and repairs. To me this part of the deal was the most important to me , the extra protection

Trading Standards are now part of Motor Codes for greater consumer proection

that our customers would receive in case of a dispute.

Thanks Eric Roberts…www.pellonautocentre.com

Hi I would like to introduce myself. Working in the Garage and Avon Tyres and Battery business now for 40 years. Also having worked for a couple for national tyre companies in my younger days. Before starting my first business. Of course,I now own a garage and MOT testing centre. Here in the UK called Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre. As a result, I am a keen blogger about anything to do with cars and their related products . Of course, that will help my business. We are members of Point-S and Motor-Codes Also a Unipart Car Care Centre and of course Tyre-safe.

See on www.motortrader.com

Clean Garage- It could be a matter of Survival for small Independent garages.

3rd June 2019/in All Car Servicing /by Eric

Franchise Dealer garages showed us the way to a Clean Garage

As an independent garage and tyre retailer. There is one thing that I admire about franchise and main dealer garages.Of course, that’s that they have always led the way. In the presentation and cleanliness of their premises. I suppose that you could well argue that selling a new or second-hand car. So,is different to selling tyres, or servicing cars. But you have got to admire their presentation and a Clean Garage in the eyes of the public. Admiring them for that.

Many of you who read this article will be from a franchise environment. Of course, it will be interesting to hear some feedback about where the ideas actually come from. Perhaps a lot of the ideas come from the car manufacturers that the garages sell the cars for. It appears that the bigger the manufacturer the better the decor and cleanliness seems to be.

We independents, especially the “one man band” operations.Thus, have always had to cope on our own and the state of the garages.Subsequently,always depended on the cleanliness and training of the owner or manager. In other words a scruffy owner. Would probably have a dirty old-fashioned garage.

A nice Clean Garage reception is very important for today’s garage customers

I think in the 70’s here in the UK. We were guilty of bad housekeeping. Even the large chains. So, that were owned by the tyre manufacturer. Including, such as National tyres and Tyreservices. Consequently, were trading in the dark ages. Being no better than the one man band garages.

Once a new branch had opened. They were usually painted and decorated in the company’s logo. But after that it was all downhill. With the depot turning into the normal type dirty garage. Of course, it depended on the manager. Indeed some managers even gave the depot a lick of paint.Financing it from the petty cash. In general these large companies did not have a “repair and renewal budget”.Hence, to keep the Clean Garage up to scratch.

Clean Garage-Then came along the Kwikfit chain of garages.

In my opinion, “love them or hate them” Kwikfit came along and raised the standard. Tom Farmer the founder of the company visited the USA. Noticing the high standards that the American garages had climbed to. When he took over some of the old Firestone retail depots. Of course, to form Kwik Fit Exhausts. He brought the American way of tyre retailing to the UK. Everything was to a high standard and clean. His staff were clean and wore corporate clothing. Just like the main dealer franchise garages.

This to me was a great inspiration and to compete with Kwik Fit Tyres, we made sure that we kept our own garages “spic and span” maintaining cleanliness and the decor to the highest standards that we could afford. The type of image that Kwikfit put out was replicated by many people who were then working in the tyres and garages businesses across the UK. We could see that once a customer had visited Kwikfit, then they weren’t going to go back to dirty old garages down a back street any more, “the Clean Garage standards were raised”, for good.

Garages today should have no excuses for looking shabby. We all have busy days or lousy wet weather when our floors look a mess, but that’s acceptable as long as we have a good old-fashioned “sweep up” at the end of the day. The other month, I had to call into a garage on my travels because I got caught short and needed the toilet, (my age), it was in Lancashire on my way to a Point-S meeting.

Clean Garage

The garage guys were very kind and let me use the toilet. My God? I wished I had not bothered the toilets were disgusting, they were filthy, the sink was cracked and the hot water did not work,”wow”, I thanked them and went on my way. We should all have well decorated clean toilets for our customers to use if nature calls. Our customers deserve high standards, they deserve a nice reception area to sit in, while they wait for their car to be repaired, they deserve a well decorated clean and tidy garage with nice clean well-dressed staff to repair their cars.

They deserve staff that wear protective gloves and use car mats and wing covers to keep their well-loved cars clean while they are in for repair or a service. If they do not get all this then you will be a looser, especially that now we have many female customers calling in to our garages and tyre centres.

Don’t forget that the franchise garages are now offering cheap tyres sold to them by the wholesalers, and cut price servicing, so we must pull our “fingers out” and keep up Clean Garage high standards to compete in the future.

Clean Garage floor should be painted every year (if possible)

Article written by Eric Roberts...www.mot-halifax.co.uk

Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre offer car and van servicing and repairs to all makes of vehicles. Members of Unipart Car Care centres. Giving a nationwide guarantee for all our work and parts. Also selling tyres online from our website www.pellontyres.co.uk.

Using the tyre selector and choosing your tyre size. We offer courtesy cars to local motorists. Hence, who need to go to work and leave their car with us for work doing. Also an official MOT testing station and are members of Motor-codes. Carrying out checks for high standard of equipment and workmanship.

Brake Problems- A good look at some common problems with Master Cylinder Auto Repair – Brakes Don …

1st June 2019/in Brake Servicing Halifax /by Eric

Brake Problems

Brake problems can be difficult to diagnose, but most drivers encounter these common symptoms: your brake pedal feels soft or mushy, when braking, your foot … Be Sociable, Share! Tweet …

eric roberts‘s insight:

Master cylinder brakes fluid may need checking at regular intervals

This Brake Problems video and article written by Joyce Blay is well worth looking at. We in the garage and Autocentre sector are always advising the motorists about how they should look after their cars, but we cannot over stress the important of the cars braking system and how important it is to have your brakes checked by a professional mechanic or your local garage to avoid future Brake Problems.

Checking the brake fluid level

The levels that are checked under your bonnet (hood) will include the level in your master cylinder. The lack of brake fluid in the Brake Master Cylinders will lead to spongy brakes and if not corrected will end up in Brake Problems and even brake failure.

Brake Problems

So have these levels checked and if required you may need a complete brake fluid change. This is something else that is recommended by the car manufacturers at intervals, so it is well worth checking to see what intervals this job should be done at. Also if you are topping up the master cylinder yourself, make sure you use the recommended type of fluid for your model, some are different to others, your user’s manual will tell you which fluid to use.

Eric Roberts…www.pellonautocentre.com

Hi I would like to introduce myself. I have worked in the Garage and tyre and Battery business now for 40 years. hence, I have worked for a couple for national tyre companies. Of course in my younger days. Before starting my first business. Subsequently, I now own a garage and MOT testing centre .Locally here in the UK called Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre. I am a keen blogger about anything to do with cars . Of course, and their related products that will help my business. We are members of Point-S and Motor-Codes . Also a Unipart Car Care Centre and of course Tyre-safe.

See on www.iddiandgalia.com

Winter Car Servicing-Good Garage Scheme Car Servicing in Great Britain : Get Ready for …

31st May 2019/in All Car Servicing /by Eric

Winter Car Servicing

Winter Car Servicing at pellon Autocentre, Halifax UK[/caption]

Winter Car Servicing

With cold weather just around the corner and nights beginning to draw in, the Good Garage Scheme is encouraging motorists to have their cars professionally checked to ensure they are safe and reliable in the winter months …

eric roberts‘s insight:

Winter is on its way is your car ready for Winter Car Servicing ?

This article from the “Good garage scheme” highlights the motorist to the severe weather conditions that may lie ahead and the effects that this could have on your car if you did not prepare it by servicing it before the winter arrives.We are a member of the Unipart Car care Centres and are advising our customers to do the same, by offering an MOT and service for just £100 all inclusive. This offer is for most small and medium sized cars and will carry out Winter Car Servicing on their cars for the winter ahead. This offer also includes a brake check and your anti-freeze levels topping up the correct winter levels, so you won’t be the one with a frozen engine. We also give your battery a good check over, so you will not be late to work because your cars battery has failed you.

Thanks Eric Roberts…www.pellonautocentre.com

Hi I would like to introduce myself. I have worked in the Garage and tyre and Battery business now for 40 years. Working for a couple for national tyre companies in my younger days. Of course, before starting my first business. Consequently, I now own a garage and MOT testing centre. Here in the UK called Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre. As a result, I am a keen blogger about anything to do with cars . Hence, and their related products that will help my business. As a result,we are members of Point-S and Motor-Codes . Also a Unipart Car Care Centre and of course Tyre-safe.

See on www.goodgarageschemeblog.com

MotorCodes- Car Service and Repair Garages – New Cars- Vehicle Warranty

27th May 2019/in All Car Servicing, All Unipart Service Centres Stuff /by Eric

MotorCodes

MotorCodes: Service and Repair Garages | New Cars | Vehicle Warranty. Motor Codes Limited is the body responsible for the self regulation of the motor industry through consumer codes of practice.

eric roberts‘s insight:

Motorcodes new warranty scheme

Hi- to be a member of Unipart car Care centres, we must also be a member of motorcades. Motorcades garage network members have to be vetted by the RAC.

A qualified guy comes to check us from the RAC (Now the AA) and examines our garage and our garage system to see if it conforms to certain standard. This is to ensure that the standard of our workmanship and procedures are up the the high standards that Motorcodes expects.

Motorists should always look out for the nearest motorcodes garage in their area to ensure good workmanship with a guarantee that you can take up with motorcodes should there be a dispute.

To cap it off Motor codes Garage of the Year also have a fair price policy and we always keep the old parts for the customer to look at, all very honest and above board. Motorcodes are all now part of the UK trading Standard organisation. They have also moved from the RAC to the AA for depot accreditation.

Thanks Eric Roberts...www.pellonautocentre.com

Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre offer car and van servicing and repairs to all makes of vehicles. We are members of Unipart Car Care centres and give a nationwide guarantee for all our work and parts. We also sell tyres online from our website www.pellonautocentre.com by using the tyre selector and choosing your tyre size. We offer courtesy cars to local motorists who need to go to work and leave their car with us for work doing. We are also an official MOT testing station and are members of Motor-codes, who carry out checks for high standard of equipment and workmanship.